readings in psychology for august 17th 2010

CLICK on the above picture to see my APA adventures!

Here is what caught my eye today:

• brains of our fathers: does parenting rewire dads?

“In just a few months’ time, Jack went from my wife’s little brother to a hands-on, first-time father. When I first met Jack, he was a tall, lanky, wet-behind-the-ears nineteen-year-old kid, who enlisted in the U.S. Navy right after graduating high school. As a two-tour Iraq war veteran, Jack saw more of the world in six years than most of us ever will, and had a large repertoire of crazy sailor stories to boot.”

• conquering fear of spiders

“So what exactly does that treatment entail? Apparently, its purpose is to help people overcome their arachnophobia by getting up close and personal with some not-so-real-live creepy crawlies, including common house spiders, Daddy Long Legs, False Widows and Chilean Rose Tarantulas.”

• muscles remember past glories

“Pumping up is easier for people who have been buff before, and now scientists think they know why — muscles retain a memory of their former fitness even as they wither from lack of use.”

• video game technology embraced by med students

“”Due in large part to their high degree of technological literacy, today’s medical students are a radically different audience than the students of 15 to 20 years ago,” study co-author Dr. Frederick W. Kron, a former assistant professor of family medicine at the University of Wisconsin and current president of Medical Cyberworlds, Inc., said in a University of Michigan news release.”

• men or women : who make the better leaders

“Americans believe women have the right stuff to be political leaders. When it comes to honesty, intelligence and a handful of other character traits they value highly in leaders, the public rates women superior to men, according to a new nationwide Pew Research Center Social and Demographic Trends survey.”

• amphetamine use and heart issues among young

” Young adults who abuse amphetamines may be at greater risk of suffering a tear in the main artery leading from the heart, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found.”